1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet head cartridge and an ink tank cartridge in which a part of the construction comprises a degradable plastic having a more rapid decrease of physical properties than that of synthetic plastic under disposal environments after use, or a package thereof and an ink jet apparatus having a fitting part for the above cartridges.
2. Related Background Art
An ink jet method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,796 is possible to record high detailed and high quality images with a high speed and a high density, and to be suitable for making compact and coloring. The method has been worthy of remark recently. Representative examples of an apparatus for supplying ink to a recording head used in the above method are: an apparatus where ink is supplied to a fixed type recording head from an ink tank in a replaceable cartridge form through an ink supplying system such as a supplying tube by utilizing negative pressure by waterhead difference and capillary action, and an apparatus having a replaceable cartridge comprising an integrated recording head and ink tank and by developing negative pressure on the ink tank side, ink is supplied by balance between meniscus retention power and negative pressure power of the ink tank.
These catridges are made of synthetic plastics in many cases. For example, an ink tank cartridge, cartridge case, ink receiving bag, ink feeding tube and so on are made of synthetic plastic materials.
Recently, many kinds of synthetic plastic materials have been developed and provided, and materials such as metals have been replaced by synthetic plastic materials. As the result, amounts of synthetic plastic materials used in various industrial fields tend to increase yearly, thereby amounts of synthetic plastic waste increase and the disposal of the waste has been a great social problem in the world.
For example, plastics are produced in an amount of 11,000,000 tons per year in Japan, and in U.S.A. produced about three times the output in Japan. About 1/3 of the output has been disposed. This plastic waste is recovered, and burned or buried. On the other hand, it is left as it is in seas, farms, hills and fields. The recovered and burned plastics generate very high heat, and in some instances the heating value exceeds that of incinerator design, thereby resulting in damage of the incinerator and generation of harmful gases. Treatment by filling-up decreases proper land to be filled-up, and harmful substances are buried simultaneously, thereby harmful substances are concentrated or land subsidence may occur. Moreover, plastics left in the natural world may flow in rivers and seas, and give damage to oceanic life.
Under this circumstance, with the spread of ink jet apparatus and their accessaries, it is considered that disposal of synthetic plastic waste used as their consumption members, replaceable parts, replaceable cartridges of ink tank and ink jet head, or packages for the cartridges, is a matter for consideration relating to environmental problems.